Soldier places 3rd in fitness event

By Walt Johnson

Mountaineer staff

Fort Carson Soldier Aisha Patrick is seeing years of hard work help her reach her fitness goals.

The latest result was Nov. 11, 2017, when she placed third in the figure open C class at the 2017 National Physique Committee Tokyo Joe’s Rocky Mountain Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Bikini and Physique Championships in Golden.

Patrick, who began bodybuilding two years ago while stationed in Korea, has aspirations to one day compete in Olympia, the top event in the sport of bodybuilding.

Patrick said she and fellow Fort Carson Soldier LaDonna Peterson are helping each other strengthen their weaker areas.

Peterson is into powerlifting and Patrick was a self-professed “cardio bunny,” a person who enjoys running.

“LaDonna and I talked, and she said if I help her with her running she would help me with the weights. So, getting ready to compete pretty much started from there,” Patrick said.

They set their sights on a June fitness competition. They met that goal, but it became questionable if there would be another show as the preparation and its aftermath took a toll on Patrick.

She said she didn’t have doubts about why she was competing in fitness shows because she’s a competitive person and would be active even without preparing for competitions.

“I honestly thought it was rough getting over that show. I didn’t have a lot of guidance coming off that show, (and) I went through what I consider post-show depression because my diet was so strict going into the show my body tanked really bad,” Patrick said. “I had to take a couple of months to rebuild myself, and I had some second thoughts about why did

I do this and why do I still want to do it. I was concerned about what was going on with my body and what was happening, and it was rough,” Patrick said.

She was so determined to understand the full effects of training and dieting while competing that she went 72 hours without sleep researching the subject so she would know, once and for all, if it was for her.

“What got me out of my depression was the 72 hours straight I spent researching the diet I was on and studying athletes to the point where my husband (fellow Fort Carson Soldier Kwame Patrick) asked me when I was going to sleep,” she said. “I was trying to figure out the human body and why people train for competitions.

I figured out that this is what I want to do — I wanted to continue to compete and get to nationals and eventually get to and win the Olympia. So, I said, ‘I’d better get to it and get it done.’”

Patrick said her love for the sport will make her a better Soldier. She sees fitness as the key to being fully prepared to fulfill her Army mission.

“When you are going through those angry moments, and you train, you learn a lot about patience and that has helped me to get more discipline,” she said. “It has helped me understand what other Soldiers go through and especially those Soldiers in the Army Composition Body Program.

“I want to be somebody who people can count on in a combat situation, by being as physically fit a Soldier as I can be,” Patrick said. “If you can’t run and you can’t do your pushups, I can’t expect you to pull me out of a burning vehicle. I want my Soldiers to see me and say, ‘My NCO takes care of me at work and she still has time to take care of herself and her Family outside of work.’”